


The Twilit Dragon

by WolfWarden



Category: The Legend of Zelda & Related Fandoms
Genre: All the Links are here, Angst, Gen, Hurt No Comfort, Inspired by Fanart, LU Artist Appreciation 2020, Twilight (Linked Universe)-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-29
Updated: 2020-11-29
Packaged: 2021-03-09 19:13:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,867
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27781315
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WolfWarden/pseuds/WolfWarden
Summary: Twilight felt fear lance through him. Had he lost the ability to turn into a wolf? His last connection to the Twilight Realm? He was trembling now, from pain or fear he couldn’t tell. The heat building inside him was searing. The taste of smoke was on his tongue.He could distantly hear Wild calling to him, could feel Time squeezing his arm in alarm but every sensation felt too harsh. Words were shrill in his ears and he wanted to sob from the ever-increasing pressure in his bones.He was flat on his back now, gasping desperately for one gulp of cool air. But all that flowed in and out of his lungs was that same blistering heat. He closed his eyes and mentally reached out for the Twili magic held in the shadow crystal around his neck. Then, he transformed himself into the wolf.The magic took hold, and Twilight arched his back and screamed.
Comments: 9
Kudos: 54





	The Twilit Dragon

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Somewhat_Ficz](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Somewhat_Ficz/gifts).



> This is a gift for the awesome Nicky for LU Artist Appreciation 2020! A link to Nicky's art that inspired this fic is in the end notes.
> 
> Nicky, you listed Twilight as one of your favorites and said you preferred to read Angst. I was delighted to write this for you. I hope it is to your liking. 😅

Twilight stepped out and away from the pulsing light of a portal, pausing for a moment to let the twisting nausea fade away. It was nothing compared to the bone-cracking horror of his first transformation into a wolf, but the touch of dark portal magic still left an unsettling sensation behind. He took in the new minimal surroundings, finding himself in the middle of a large square platform covered in short grass. Four angular columns loomed above them at the corners, and beyond the edge of the platform was nothing but swirling dark gray clouds.

Legend, the first through the portal, had apparently been walking from one side of the platform to the other. When finished, he paused at the edge looking at the endless drop down. “Huh. So who recognizes this 60 paces of nothing over a sky full of… let’s see… more nothing?”

The other heroes gave various signs to the negative as the final one of their group, Sky, stepped through the portal and it immediately faded away. Sky took one look at the surroundings and gave a surprised shout of delight. He raced over to the edge next to Legend.

“This is-!” Sky looked about, and Twilight caught the hopeful expression on the other hero’s face waver. “I thought this might be my home. We live in the clouds, but…” Sky’s eyes darted around, taking in every detail. “…I’m afraid I don’t recognize this place.”

“To be fair, there’s not much to recognize,” Legend said, kicking at something in the grass. It looked like a blackened tree branch.

Time walked over to Sky and gave him one small pat on the shoulder, his expression sympathetic.

“We probably should get off this platform,” Wild called out. “Those clouds look like they're bringing a storm.”

Twilight turned to see where Wild indicated and did indeed see a distant cluster of darkening clouds. As if it had been waiting for this cue, a frigid wind blew hard across the platform and the nearby wisps of cloud cover behind them swept back. This revealed a small collection of rounded buildings floating around them. Propellers spun on the rooftops, apparently keeping everything afloat, and slim bridges tenuously connected all the buildings.

The recognition hit Twilight all at once. “Oh no,” He groaned softly.

Of course, this did not go unnoticed. Warriors had his sword halfway drawn and was eyeing Twilight sharply. “What does that mean? Are we in danger?”

“No.” Twilight waved the Captain down. “We should be fine. This is from my Hyrule. We’re in the ‘City in the Sky’”

Sky looked over with interest. “You have floating cities too?”

“Uh, no, it’s not a Hylian city.” _Please don’t make me explain the Oocca,_ he thought. _Please please please…_ “They’re mostly abandoned buildings, but, uh-” Twilight rubbed the back of his neck, “there are some creatures that live up here.”

“Oh? Should we be concerned?”

“No. They’re friendly little things. Just a bit… odd looking. Hopefully, they’re still the only residents here.” Twilight’s gaze swept across the simple platform. Apart from some clusters of thin black spikes sticking up out of the grass, everything looked the same as it had years ago. “I remember this place now. This is where I met Argorok, the Twilit Dragon.” This announcement garnered surprised reactions from the group.

“You spoke to a dragon?” Sky asked. “Was he helpful?”

Twilight gave a humorless laugh. “No, Sky, he wasn’t the friendly sort. Or the talkative kind.”

Wild was nodding thoughtfully. “Yes, they like to keep to their own ways and have little concern for the cares of others.”

“No. Not quite that either, Wild.” Twilight looked between Sky’s sympathetic gaze and Wild’s concerned one. “Argorok was violent. I don’t know if it was outside influence that made him act that way, but he met me ready for a fight.”

Twilight could easily recall the mighty dragon. Leathery red wings and gleaming black armor had protected the majority of the dragon’s head, neck, and torso. Argorok had come out of a thundering sky, breathing out his rage in a molten stream of fire. Midna, as always, kept him focused on the task at hand, but he would be lying if he said the sight of that great beast bearing down on him hadn’t caused him to freeze up a little.

“How did you fight him?” Wind asked, bounding up beside him with eyes alight at the prospect of a good story.

“Why, in the air, little sailor.” Twilight tried to keep his tone lighthearted. After all, Argorok was long dead now. There was no need for the fears of the past to affect him, even if he stood on the very battlefield where the dragon sought to burn him alive. “But it’s a story for another time.”

“Oh, come on!” Wind leaned in closer. “You can’t just leave me with that!”

“I’ll give you a hint.” Twilight pointed to the surrounding columns. “Double hook-shot.”

Wind’s eyes grew wide. “Awesome.”

Twilight gave a slight smile at Wind’s reaction. The fight with Argorok had been intense, but so had many of his other fights along his hero’s journey. There was no reason for him to feel so unsettled now. But he did. He let his eyes travel up the imposing columns towering over him. For a moment he could almost feel the rough jolt in his arms as he was jerked through the air by his hookshot, the storm buffeting him back and forth as he dangled from the chains. He was reliving that awful moment of realization that the mad dragon need only slightly turn his head to engulf him in blistering flames.

Lightning flashed in the nearby clouds, jerking Twilight’s mind back to the present. An echoing crack of thunder quickly followed.

“We’re too exposed out here!” Four called out. “We’re all carrying metal. This is just asking to get fried.”

Twilight pointed to one edge of the platform. “There should be a ladder on that side leading down to the bigger buildings.”

The group began to make their way over to the indicated edge. Twilight turned back to give his habitual once over to the area they were leaving behind. He sucked in a sharp breath at the sudden appearance of a strange figure where no one had been before.

The cloaked stranger took no notice of Twilight or the others. It stood still, stooped over the black branches scattered near the center of the platform. The weeds and sickly patches of yellowed grass twisted up through the larger pieces.

Twilight’s mind was screaming out that this was all wrong, that no one had been there before them. He drew his sword and started to call out an alarm to those behind him, but stopped, noticing a strange pattern on the figure’s cloak. The cloak was black but had a luminous green glow where a strange angular pattern decorated the edges. Twilight took a cautious step forward, some vague familiarity floating at the back of his mind. _Wait. I know that design. It’s a Twili pattern! Should I know who this is?_ A strange hope was fluttering up inside him and he did his best to stifle it. _Wait, just wait. Figure out what’s going on here first. There’s no reason to believe she sent someone back to find me…_

The figure reached out towards the rubble, almost caressing the blackened shapes littering the ground. The hand alighted from piece to piece as if searching for something in particular. Twilight stepped forward again, trying to get a better look at the angular shapes on the cloak. “Hello?”

The cloaked figure again did not indicate that it had heard anything, continuing to kneel in the dirt and sort through the rubble.

Twilight tried again, tightening his grip on his sword to steady his nerves. “Are you from the Twilight Realm?”

No response.

Twilight again stepped closer. The thinnest hope that a connection to the Twilight Realm could be reestablished was crowding out all other thoughts of caution. _Perhaps I should know what this black rubble is_ , he thought, noting the figure’s fixation on it, _but the last time I was here, it was only grass._

“Twilight?” Time called out.

Twilight turned to see the older hero looking at him in confusion. Time’s posture was outwardly calm but Twilight could easily read the tension in his voice. The older hero’s eye was trained on the sword in Twilight’s hand.

Another icy blast of wind swept across the platform. Twilight turned back and gestured to the figure, trusting Time would see the reason he had drawn his sword. But the wind had blown back the hood of the cloak, revealing a withered old woman. She shuddered in the cold, fine whips of white hair tangling about her sorrowful face.

Twilight felt the fight drain out of him at the sight of her. This woman was not Twili. Her skin lacked the bluish-gray tint and orange eyes typical of the Twili. He sheathed his sword feeling shame creep over him. _What am I doing? Ready to attack an old woman? Am I so desperate to contact Midna again that I’ll act the fool so quickly?_ His head felt foggy and his thoughts sluggish.

“Twilight!” Time was calling for him again. “What are you doing? It’s time to leave.” The other heroes had clustered around the edge of the platform, ready to make the trek to the closest building for shelter. Four slipped a bit on the ladder as the wind roared by and Time had to reach out to steady the smaller hero. The sky was darkening quickly as the storm clouds blocked out the light.

Twilight turned to the figure still kneeling in the debris. It didn’t seem right to leave an old woman out in the storm, no matter how uneasy she made him. He cautiously sank to one knee an arm’s length away from her. “Ma’am, there’s a storm coming. You need to get away from here.”

Once again she continued her slow methodical search of the ground as if she couldn’t hear his words.

Twilight very lightly touched his fingertips to the thin fabric of the woman’s shoulder. He suppressed the urge to ask her about the strange markings on it. Or to ask where she had gotten it. _I need to let go and stop focusing on myself._ “Ma’am? Please, it’s not safe.”

This time she paused. “Safe?” she croaked, voice thin and difficult to catch in the rising noise of wind and thunder. “That is what they always used to say about this place. That it wasn’t safe. Not with _him_ around.”

Twilight frowned. “Him? From before? Do you mean the dragon?”

The woman’s head snapped up and she finally turned fully toward Twilight. Her face, though heavily lined with wrinkles, seemed alight with the intensity of her stare. “You know?” she gasped, excitement making her breathless. “You know of the dragon? Where has he gone?”

Twilight extended a hand to the woman. “I can explain more once we are safely out of the storm. But yes,” he smiled reassuringly at her, “you have nothing to fear. The dragon, Argorok, is gone. I defeated him in battle.”

The woman’s face paled. “Gone? You… you killed him?”

Twilight nodded, hand still outstretched. The wind was pulling at him in earnest now, hair and clothing whipping back and forth against his skin. The scent of oncoming rain was heavy in the air. “We have to go now.”

The woman bowed her head for a moment, the cloak drooping limply over her slim form. “Oh, my darling. What has he done to you?” she whispered.

Twilight had only one moment of confusion, one second to draw in a sharp breath of alarm, before the old woman moved in a blur of speed. Her hand grasped his outstretched one, her other rising out of the charred rubble on the ground. Her arm came up and a sharp burst of pressure hit the center of his chest.

Twilight jerked back from the blow, easily shaking off the woman’s grasping fingers. _Did she just punch me?_ he wondered. The ridiculousness of the situation made him pause. _Did I just get punched by a tiny old lady? What did she think she was going to do to me?_ Sharp pain finally registered in his mind as he staggered to his feet.

“Twilight, what are you doing?!” Legend called out from behind him, his voice laced with irritation. “You can play in the dirt after we avoid getting zapped by lightning!”

Twilight tried to answer but found he could barely take a breath; the air in his lungs felt thick and sweltering as if he were suddenly under the boiling sun of the Gerudo desert.

Legend grabbed his arm and yanked Twilight toward him. “Seriously, we need to g-” his words cut off with a gasp. Twilight followed Legend’s shocked gaze to his own chest. To the slim black spike sticking out of his chest. It wasn’t huge, perhaps 6 inches protruding from the skin, but blood was already staining his outer tunic. Legend yelled for the others and Twilight tried to wave him off. There was no need to call over the others, he could walk. Again he tried to speak and the pain spiked as he drew a gasping breath. The air burned on its way down his throat.

Wild appeared at his side and Twilight could hear the sounds of the others coming back over. “What happened, Twi?” Wild asked.

With a rumble of thunder, the sky finally opened up and the rain began to pelt the ground. The raindrops felt icy against his feverish skin. He pointed to the hunched form of the old woman. She was sobbing, rocking back and forth as she gathered armfuls of black shards to her chest.

“Thought she needed help,” Twilight had to pause for another burning gulp of air, “stabbed me with-” His vision rippled oddly and he shifted his feet to keep from losing his balance. The black rubble crunched under his boots. _Wait…_ Twilight tried to get a better look at the broken pieces in the grass. Bits of white shone through broken sections. The realization made his stomach lurch. “The dragon…” he wheezed out.

Wild was carefully pulling his tunic back from the injury, trying to better assess the damage. “Who are you talking about? What dragon?”

The rain was falling harder now. The icy drops soaking into his clothes should have felt refreshing, but Twilight could still feel the sweat beading across his skin. “Argorok,” he managed to choke out. The pain from his chest seemed to be growing. It pulsed deep into his torso and seemed to flare with every breath he took. He looked Wild dead in the eye, trying to get him to understand. “He died here. She used…him. It’s dragon bone.” Saying the words made his skin crawl with revulsion.

Wild’s eyes widened.

“Get it out,” Twilight whispered.

Time grabbed his arm and held him steady. “Twilight, earlier you were talking to yourself. Did you see something?”

Twilight blinked at him in confusion. “Was talking…” He had to pause as a fresh wave of nausea rippled through him. “…to her. Old woman.” Why was he acting so weak? _This wound shouldn’t be affecting me so much. It can’t be in that deep._ Despite the shallow wound, there was a growing sense of wrongness about the whole thing. He would not panic, but something deep inside him was screaming at him to get away.

Time’s face was unreadable as stone. “There was no one there.”

Twilight felt the words slip over him like water over stone. He heard the sounds but the meaning eluded him. “S-she was…” He couldn’t finish. It was too hard to focus on anything other than the heat in his lungs and the wrongness in his chest.

“Twilight.” Time would not be dissuaded. “I didn’t see anything other than you, alone, kneeling on the ground.”

 _Enough. This has to stop._ “Wild,” he nearly begged, “get it out.”

Thankfully, Wild already had his hand wrapped around the black dragon bone sticking out of Twilight’s chest.

“Wait a second, Wild!” Warrior’s voice rang out. “Hyrule, get a potion ready. Twilight, you really should be laying down for this.”

Twilight shook his head and the motion set his vision wobbling again. His skin felt sensitive and tight like every inch of him had been sunburned. “Just do it.”

Warriors sighed. “Hold him steady, Time.”

Twilight felt Time shift to stand directly behind him and tightly grip his shoulders. Lightning flashed alarmingly close and the following crack hurt Twilight’s ears.

“This is insane!” Four was yelling. “We should get somewhere safe first!”

Twilight was panting for breath now, every inhale flaring the pain and making him more lightheaded. He fought the urge to squirm as an unbearable heat rippled across his chest. He looked at Wild, who had frozen in place, his face twisted with worry. Twilight grit his teeth and hissed out one word. “Please.”

Wild yanked hard on the bone of Argorok, the Twilit Dragon. And it crumbled to dust in his hand.

Twilight yelped as he felt the bone shift and his legs finally buckled beneath him. Time caught him and lowered them both to their knees. “Wild,” Time asked, “did you get it out?”

Wild was shaking his head, frantically checking the wound. “I don’t think so. It just disintegrated, Time! I’d barely started to pull! I- oh no.”

Wild only spared a tense glance at Time before looking back at Twilight. “I’m sorry, Twi, but it’s broken.” Wild pulled up on the cord around Twilight’s neck and Twilight caught sight of the shadow crystal, the magic item he used to become a wolf. It was cracked on one side, a small piece missing from the object. “I think it got caught by the bone. Probably stopped it from going in too deep.”

Twilight felt fear lance through him. Had he lost the ability to turn into a wolf? His last connection to the Twilight Realm? He was trembling now, from pain or fear he couldn’t tell. The heat building inside him was searing. He tried to hold back a pained whine but it slipped past his lips. Control was swiftly leaving him. He couldn’t stop himself from writhing, trying anything to escape the feel of fire charring his bones. The taste of smoke was on his tongue.

His arm jerked upward and he grabbed at the wound on his chest, expecting the wet smear of blood and rainwater. Instead, his skin felt ashy, black bone fragments crumbling further under his fingertips. He could distantly hear Wild calling to him, could feel Time squeezing his arm in alarm but every sensation felt too harsh. Words were shrill in his ears and he wanted to sob from the ever-increasing pressure in his bones. Hylia help him, he felt like steel cords were winding around his limbs, squeezing unbearably tight until he was sure something inside him would shatter.

 _Stop it stop it oh please…._ He was flat on his back now, gasping desperately for one gulp of cool air. But all that flowed in and out of his lungs was that same blistering heat. The rain poured down his body but did nothing to cool him. His mind cast about for an escape. His first transformation into a wolf all those years ago, while excruciatingly painful, had been blessedly brief. An idea came to him and, before he could examine it further, he latched onto it, hoping that whatever was happening to him would end quickly. His Hylian body was burning. Perhaps as a wolf, the pain would lessen enough for him to catch his breath. He closed his eyes and mentally reached out for the Twili magic held in the shadow crystal around his neck. Then, he transformed himself into the wolf.

The magic took hold, and Twilight arched his back and screamed.

Time passed in a dizzying blur, everything happening too quickly and yet still agonizingly slow. His insides felt like they were exploding outward, bones crunching and expanding, skin feeling like molten lava as it melted away. His mind floated on a wave of pain so intense it left him numb as he settled back down into his body. Only, it didn’t feel like his body anymore. Everything was… strange. His body felt alien to him. _Why… why does everything feel so heavy?_ he wondered.

His senses returned slowly. The first thing he noticed was the rivulets of rain trickling over his skin. It felt blessedly cool. The all-consuming heat from before had dissipated into a pleasant warmth in his chest. _I’m not in pain,_ he realized. _It’s over._ The relief washing over him was short-lived. Someone was…crying? Yes, his hearing was coming back, muffled at first by the roar of the rain but growing clearer every second.

“Twilight? Please, you’ve got to wake up okay?” Someone was near-begging, voice thick with tears. “Come on, Twi. You’re in there right? I know you’re in there and you’re going to be fine. We’ll get you back…”

His heart twisted at the sound. He didn’t recognize the voice, but it pulled at some protectiveness deep inside him. He couldn’t abandon someone in distress. Link slowly opened his eyes. The world looked strange. The world _felt_ strange. Everything was too far away and too close all at once, like he couldn’t focus correctly. His limbs felt bent at strange angles. Something gently brushed his arm and his attention was pulled to the young man, a Hylian, kneeling beside him. The Hylian’s head was bowed, long yellow hair further obscuring his face and falling well past the shoulders of a bright blue tunic.

 _Ah. This is who I heard crying._ Link thought. He wasn’t sure he liked that a stranger was touching him though. The Hylian’s hand was pressed flat against the gray scales of his arm.

_Wait._

Link lunged to his feet, or at least, he tried to. Instead of two sturdy legs underneath him, he was faced with four massive limbs tipped with vicious white claws. He scrabbled for balance and felt the muscles in his back flex a set of bat-like wings in response. His heartbeat was roaring in his ears. _No. No! What’s happened to me?_

There were cries of alarm as more Hylians came into view. They were well-armed and at least half of them readied their weapons.

 _And why wouldn't they?!_ Link felt panic clawing for control of his mind. He didn’t know what he was doing here. He didn’t know what happened or who these people were. But it was clear from the weaponry they carried that they were capable of killing him. _They don’t know that I’m really a Hylian like them! They just think they’re facing a-_ He couldn’t finish that thought. He felt sick. They would attack any moment he was sure of it. But the thought of having to hurt these people felt _wrong_.

“Twilight!” The Hylian in blue was staring up at him, unmasked relief in his face. “Are you alright?”

Link pulled back, stretching his long neck up to it’s fullest height to tower over him. _Is he talking to me? Does he expect me to answer?_ He opened his mouth and felt his tongue flick over a row of dagger-like teeth. He clamped his mouth shut and marveled at the strength of his jaws. He imagined the damage it could do to fragile human bones.

The man at his feet looked unfazed. One of the smaller ones in a multicolored tunic cautiously slipped forward to stand by the one in blue. “Wild, step back,” he spoke carefully, words directed to the one in blue, but eyes locked on the creature above him.

“I’m not leaving him.”

A few of the others spread out around Link in a semi-circle, weapons not aimed at him but still at the ready. Something in his mind hissed in displeasure at that. _They’re starting to surround me. They think they can contain me._ He felt angry. Angry at the slight spike of fear they made him feel. _They don’t know who they’re dealing with._ A rumbling growl started to build in his chest.

“Something’s not right.” The small one said to the one called ‘Wild’. He placed a hand on Wild’s arm and gave a gentle tug. “You can’t help him if you’re dead.”

The two of them had made no move to attack him, but Link knew better than to push his luck. He wasn’t a fool. He took a lumbering step back out of reach of the two Hylians.

“Wait! Please…” Wild immediately stepped forward to follow, his hands held out as if to placate a frightened animal.

Link snapped his wings out in irritation. He was _not_ afraid! The foreign presence in his mind grew stronger, heightening his agitation. _What am I doing here? I need to get away. Need to think. Where is Zelda? She’d know what to do. She’d have a plan. I have to get away._ He had wings. Huge, powerful wings that arched above his head and ran all the way down to the beginning of his tail. Could he fly? Dare he even try? The storm was truly raging now. Sheets of rain were slamming down on the little Hylians and the sky was lit only by the brief flashes of lightning. Link had no trouble seeing in the meager light. His slanted eyes glowed a faint green in the darkness. It was the wind that gave him pause. The erratic bursts of wind pulling at his wings made him hesitant to make this moment his first flight, no matter how desperate he was to escape. His only option may be to fight his way out.

The small one tightened his grip on the other Hylian and pulled back. “You aren’t thinking clearly! He isn’t responding to us at all. This-”

“Four,” Wild snapped, “I will _not_ leave him.”

The one called ‘Four’ huffed out a breath, then let go of Wild’s arm. “Alright. Fine. If you get hurt, you will tell him how it happened.”

The one in blue flinched.

“You will tell Twilight, in detail, _exactly_ how he hurt you when he didn’t know what he was doing. I’m sure it won’t bother him at all.”

Wild clenched his hands into fists, his eyes pinned on Link’s as if he could hold him in place with sheer will. Then, he reluctantly took a slow step back.

The presence in Link’s mind shrieked in panic. _He’s pulling back! They’re preparing to attack! We have to move!_ Link’s body reacted before he fully realized what he was doing. His tail slammed into the ground causing the platform to shudder in protest. He then reared back on his back legs, lashing out in front with his long white claws.

In a surprising burst of speed, Wild jumped back and flipped out of reach while Four threw himself down and to the side, rolling under the deadly swipe. There were cries of alarm from the other Hylians and the semi-circle tightened closer.

Link’s heart was hammering away, a strange ache growing in his chest. One of the humans had a bow drawn. Had he been shot? He risked a glance down and found a strange white symbol glowing faintly on his chest. It looked like a diamond with a dot in the center. _What happened?_ The simple question wouldn’t leave his mind. He felt he _should know_ what caused all this. Once again he felt control ripped away again as his body snapped forward, tail swiping at the larger group. He caught one of them on the tip of his tail and sent them skidding across the platform and almost over the edge. The pink-haired man teetered on the edge, arms windmilling before one in a white cape grabbed them and yanked them back to safety.

The presence seethed and then caused them to lunge again, teeth flashing as they snapped and roared at the two creeping up behind him. The two paused in their approach, swords at the ready but both seemed reluctant to attack. The one with the blue scarf appeared calm and controlled. The one next to him was covered in strange facial tattoos and looked like he was hating every second of this encounter.

 _Well, we can make this end quickly for him. After all, what are these insects compared to our might?_ Link reveled in the power of this form for one glorious moment. He stretched his great wings and felt an immense heat building in his belly. He could burn them all to ash if he desired. He caught sight of the Hylian in blue again, the one who had initially been so close to him. The one who had cried. What was his name? The Hylian was staring at him in horror, his bow drawn but his aim shaky.

“Please don’t do this,” the man whispered.

Link’s hearing had apparently sharpened to the point that the words spoken at a distance still sounded out clearly to him.

“Don’t make me shoot, Twilight.”

Link paused at that. _Twilight? Is he calling us that? Why?_ He wasn’t connected to the Twilight Realm. Not anymore. And the sky was still a raging mess of black and gray. _So why use that word?_ Link focused harder on the archer and noted a faint green glow splayed across his body.

The glow was coming from _himself_ , he realized. His new form had hard plating running down from his neck to his underbelly with nothing unusual there except the strange symbol on his chest. The dull gray-green of the plating matched the undersides of his bat-like wings. But the rest of him… oh, it was _glorious_. The rest of his body was as dark as the storm thundering around them save for the vast network of glowing green lines covering his scales. The patterns were angular and jagged and he recognized them. Link felt giddy. He was practically encased with the markings of the Twili. _No wonder they called us Twilight! I am a **Dragon of the Twilight**._ He wanted to crow in delight. _What does this mean? Can we go there? Are we connected to them again? Will we get to see Midna?_

As if in answer to his longing, the symbol on his chest throbbed with pain, and the sky behind him warped and twisted. A massive black circle appeared, white patterns faintly appearing inside. The dragon knew it immediately. _A portal to the Twilight Realm._ He stumbled toward it, a whine of longing rumbling up from inside him.

“Stop!”

The Hylian with the strange facial markings was in between him and the portal, one hand outstretched, the other holding his sword pointed down to the dirt.

“We can’t help you if you run away! Just stop!”

 _How dare they try and stop us!_ The dragon stepped forward again, opening his mouth and flashing his teeth in warning.

The Hylian in blue ran up to join the first man.

 _Oh what was his name?_ For some reason it seemed important.

The one in blue spoke. “We are just trying to help you. Twi? Can you hear me in there?”

 _His name, his name… What did they call him before?_ The dragon felt oddly torn. Half of him was angry, insisting that this didn’t matter and he was wasting time. The other half felt that if he could just remember the name this uneasy sensation would finally go away and things would make sense again. He was frozen, looking back and forth between the Hylians and the portal. _Go,_ the angry voice in his mind whispered. _Go home before it’s too late!_

The man in blue slowly held out his bow and gently laid in on the ground. He took a deliberate step away from the weapon and closer to the dragon. “You are my friend,” he said, his voice steady and sure.

 _Friend? Dragons don’t make friends with their food._ The anger bubbled up hot inside him. _We will roast him alive!_

The other Hylians were all moving now. With careful steps, they crossed the muddy, rain-soaked ground and gathered behind the older one and the one in blue. Some looked anxious, eyes flicking from the dragon to flashes of lightning. Others glared at the dragon with suspicion, hands hovering over weapons. A few kept their faces blank and controlled. But they all came. In a moment, a group of eight stood between a dragon and its destination.

 _One sweep of the tail, one blast of fire and they would clear out._ The dragon squirmed in irritation. It wanted to attack. So why couldn’t it? Why did it hesitate? He hated them all, yet it hated the thought of harming them. _They needed to move. Why did they stay? What fools would stand unarmed before a dragon? Only Wild would be crazy enough to-_

His thoughts lurched to a halt. _Wild. His name is Wild!_ His eyes widened and he frantically scanned the group before him. _There’s Time by his side, Wind and Warriors next, Legend in front of Hyrule, Four and Sky facing the portal… Yes, I know them. I know them all!_

Memories flooded through him, but he barely knew what to latch on to. As soon as he recalled something the other half of his mind snatched the knowledge away, screeching at him to stop. _No! We are the dragon!_ It howled. _You are mine!_

Link recoiled from the presence, a deep stubbornness welling up. _No. There is no ‘we’. Get out of my head!_

 _The portal!_ The voice begged. _Look! It’s closing!_

It was right. The black circle was already beginning to fade.

The voice turned soft and soothing. _You need me to get through it. Just trust me, sweetling. Just go back to sleep. Drift in the peaceful black of your mind._

Link stared at the portal. Perhaps his one chance to see the Twili again. He looked down instead at the eight faces watching his, unaware of the battle taking place in his mind. But unwilling to step aside either. They would rather face the wrath of a dragon than lose their friend.

Link took a deep breath and felt the downpour of cool rain begin to ease. _Whatever it takes to be rid of you, I will do it._

_You need me. You will be trapped without me. Just let me take care of us._

Link growled. _There is no ‘us’. And my name is **Twilight**._

There was a pause. Then the voice hissed, _very well, Twilit Dragon. Let’s see how you fare on your own._

Twilight felt the presence leave him in a dizzying whirl. His limbs shook with the sudden effort of staying upright. _I have to tell the others that I’m me again._ That was his last thought before his vision went dark and his strength left his body.

The great dragon crashed to the ground at Wild’s feet.

**Author's Note:**

> [Check out the art that inspired this story!](https://www.instagram.com/p/CBGY6RIJavD/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link) Nicky (aka BlyssfulDragonArt) has created some other really cool pieces of Linked Universe characters as dragons, so check them out!  
> Thank you, Nicky, for being so patient as I worked on this. I hope you enjoyed the result! It was a lot of fun and I could have easily kept on writing. Your design for Twilight Dragon was really cool! I particularly loved the green twili pattern you gave him. Thanks for creating art and sharing it with the rest of us in the fandom. 🥰


End file.
